Our Team

Gwendolyn M. Allen

Columbia, MD Office

Gwendolyn M. Allen practices in the area of commercial real estate. Gwen advises clients in a variety of real estate transactions covering a wide array of developments, including affordable and mixed-income housing and mixed-use developments. She has worked on commercial leasing matters since the start of her legal career and has represented landlords and tenants of office, retail, and other uses in property located in Maryland, DC, and throughout the country. Gwen’s practice has expanded over time to include the representation of lenders and borrowers in real estate financings and parties purchasing, selling, developing and redeveloping real estate.

Selected Recent Transactions

Closed the first phase of a large-scale redevelopment project involving a land disposition and tax increment financing from the City of Baltimore and FHA-insured construction financing.

Advised on the transfer of multi-site real estate in connection with the sale of a business.

Represented lenders refinancing mortgaged debt for multifamily housing projects in various states using FHA-insured financing in the 223(f) and 223(a)(7) programs.

Represented a public housing authority in the refinancing of 11 scattered sites.

Prepared and negotiated leases of retail and office space.

Prepared master leases to allow the leasing of affordable units in a mixed-income housing development by private developers to public housing authorities for subletting to qualified families

Major Prior Working Experience

Prior to working at Reno & Cavanaugh, Gwen was an associate at Bregman, Berbert, Schwartz & Gilday, LLC where she worked primarily in real estate and business transactions, with a strong focus on commercial leasing. In addition, Gwen represented a public housing authority in civil litigation in matters arising in its capacity as landlord and in its administration of the Housing Choice Voucher program.

During law school, Gwen worked with the in-house legal team at the Cordish Company on leasing, corporate, and employment matters.

Prior to and during law school, Gwen also worked for Baltimore, Maryland and Wilmington, Delaware-based nonprofit organizations organizing neighbors, stakeholders, and research around transit-centered community development and urban greening projects.